Bartimaeus

So, I’m a doctoral student, so I don’t get much time to read (at least, anything outside of the very dense academic stuff…), but I thought I’d try this out. Frankly, being a recovering Potter fanatic, I wasn’t so sure I really wanted to do yet ANOTHER wizardry/magic book, especially not one about an orphan boy, who has powers and training beyond his years who seeks to right the magical world. (sound familiar?)

But don’t let the pretense of this book fool you. It’s darkly alluring. For one, it’s written fantastically. Taken from the perspective of a couple thousand year old Genie (I know, the book calls them Djin or Djinnies, but come on Stroud, who are you fooling?) named Bartimaeus. He’s a sardonic yet insightful character whos quick-witted quips and sarcastic tone make the book incredibly enjoyable. The “orphan boy” character in this one is actually un-likable, in my opinion. I’d call him a stubborn little git, and I’m not too fond of him, but Bartimaeus makes the book series worthwhile…if you can take the length….page counts put the great Jo Rowling to shame.

Blogroll

Your Indie Life Blogger

Indie-ana Smith
Since he first heard They Might Be Giant's "Spider," Indie-ana Smith (yes, named after his favorite movie hero) has been an avid conossieur of fine music that mainstream radio ignores and otherwise living life to defy the mainstream. Is he passionately opinionated, or simply tired of the same old media offerings? You decide.